Tonjia and Russell-University of Tampa

"I like flowers, and we both like architecture", Tonjia said when she first contacted me about scheduling a wedding portrait session. I instantly knew that the University of Tampa campus would be the perfect setting for this classically romantic couple.

We met on a warm September evening for a one-hour shoot.

Neither Tonjia or Russell were particularly comfortable having their pictures taken. That is perfectly normal and understandable, so I began by asking them to just take a walk through the park... and pretend I wasn't there.





We found a nice bench in a secluded area of the park where they could sit together and relax. "Do what comes naturally", I told them... and they were happy to oblige...









The metal scultpture in the middle of the park provided another terrific setting...



From there, we moved to the veranda of the Henry B. Plant museum to capture a variety of shots, using the beautiful historic architecture as a backdrop. It's one of my favorite locations in Tampa for both wedding and engagement portraits.







While I don't typically direct my clients through pre-determined poses, I couldn't resist asking Tonjia and Russell to pose in a very specific way for this shot. It's definitely one of my favorites...



These are of course just a small sample of the images I captured for this terrific couple. We had a great time together, and I truly wish them well on their new life together!

Photo-Journalistic vs Traditional Tampa Wedding Photography

Yesterday I was on Indian Rocks Beach shooting a small, intimate sunset wedding ceremony arranged by Florida Gulf Beach Weddings. The couple (Peggy and Brian) wanted their wedding pictures to reflect the fun, casual vibe of their day.

It was a perfect match for my style of "photo-journalistic" Tampa wedding photography. It's all about capturing the details and moments that tell the story of a couple's wedding day in pictures.

Memorable details...



And priceless moments...



After the ceremony, we walked down to the surf. "It's a beautiful Saturday evening, we're on the beach, and you just got married", I told them.

"Just take a walk together and enjoy the moment. Have fun and don't pay any attention to me".

It gave me the opportunity to capture natural images that show their genuine love and appreciation for one another...





While I was shooting them in the surf, I noticed another photographer taking formal pictures of a different couple. Like us, they were down at the edge of the water. But as a formal photographer, he was meticulously posing them to capture the "perfect" sunset kiss.

From the placement of their hands, to the way they were standing, everything was posed.

I have a huge amount of respect for formal wedding photographers. It takes an incredible amount of patience, planning, and talent, and this guy totally knew what he was doing.

But while I'm sure the pictures he shot will be absolutely beautiful, they will inherently lack the natural spontaneity that you see in shots like these:





There's something about the way that Peggy and Brian are walking together, step for step in perfect unison, that makes that first one special. You can't "pose" pictures like that... they just kind of happen.

In any case, that's the difference between my style of casual, photo-journalistic Tampa wedding photography, and the more traditional style of so many other talented photographers in Tampa Bay.

Which style is right for your wedding or engagement portrait shoot? Only you know that... but choose carefully, because there really is a big difference!

Tampa Engagement Portrait Photography: Chantel and Kai

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending a Sunday afternoon shooting Chantel and Kai's engagement portraits. The couple chose the University of Tampa campus as their setting.

Chantel and Kai share a very deep love for each other, and have some incredible chemistry that made this a really fun shoot.

The key to capturing great images on an engagement photo shoot is finding a way to put the couple at ease in front of the camera. I typically start by asking them to take a walk, as we did here, down a beautiful tree-covered path in the park...



Chantel and Kai had no problem relaxing and being themselves in front of the camera...



Then, we headed up to the veranda on the front of the historic Henry B. Plant museum...





Up next, after a clothing change... we took some shots on the back veranda of the museum. It's one of my favorite spots on the entire University of Tampa campus for portrait photography, especially in the late afternoon when the sun's shadows are longer.

I did some post production work on both of these next ones to give them an "art-sy" sort of look that the couple wanted.





As the sun continued setting, we went back outside to get some fun shots in the park...





Another great spot for portraits in the UT campus is in and around the metal sculpture in the center of the park.



These are of course just a small sampling of the images I captured for Chantel and Kai on their engagement portrait photo shoot (there were over 90 total).

I'll be photographing their wedding on Clearwater Beach later in the year, and it should be a great time. Congratulations, Chantel and Kai!